Ali El Khencheli Songs from the Aures CD

On the Institut du Monde Arabe label. The Aures Mountain region of Algeria is home of the Chaouila Berber tradition. The musical tradition is vocal, usually a solo artist or call and response with a unison chorus. The singers are accompanied by the gassab, a five or six finger-holed flute made of a straight piece of cane, and percussion, usually frame drum, tambourine and hand clapping. The traditional music was usually performed at dances held at weddings or other festive occasions. These days, the music is usually performed at private concerts. The themes on Songs From the Aures consist of love, poetry and patriotism (these songs were composed during the Algerian War). The album's singer-composer is 85-year-old Sheik Ali El Khencheli, whose career goes back to 1935. He is the keeper of a style that is fading; the Chaouila Berber repertoire has been overtaken by rai and other urban styles. Aaron Howard (Rootsworld)